Women Power Erasmus Turkey 2022 ♥Impressions♥ Ariana Moldoveanu Where should I even begin… I guess I can honestly say that it was the best Erasmus project I’ve ever taken part of; and all of that simply because of the people! Teams of 6 from 5 countries (Turkey, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic and Italy) were supposed to take part in the project, unfortunately due to the pandemic situation, Italy could not join us physically for the activities. I didn’t know what to expect because I’d never taken part in this kind of project until then, but I was not disappointed in the slightest! The location - The project took place in Samsun, Turkey, a beautiful city situated at the southern shore of the Black Sea, with stunning views and attractions. I was pleasantly surprised by how different Samsun was compared to any other place I’d visited. In one of the days during the project we got to visit Amasya, which I loved the most, thanks to its beautiful mountains, separated by a crystal-clear river. The activities - I enjoyed each activity in this project – they were always fun, used just the right amount of time, and we got closer to the other participants and their cultures thanks to them. I liked the Speech Bubbles activity the most, followed by the Scene-making one. The people - They were the best! Everyone was so open to make friends and learn, as well as have fun and party with the rest of us. We all got along very well and made great and unforgettable memories together! What I learned – During this project I learned a lot about the Turkish culture, history, dances and even a few words here and there; on a personal level, I feel like I really developed my leadership, social and creative skills by pushing myself out of my comfort zone constantly. This project even taught me to embrace my own culture a lot more and proudly teach those interested more about it. Badea Alexandra Elena I started this journey with no expectations or desires. It found me in a period of physical and mental exhaustion as I was taking part in some energy-consuming projects, and I also had final term tests going on. So, I was unable to think about how I would want my Erasmus experience to look like. I didn’t start getting nervous about meeting new people or having to represent my country in front of all them. For the first time in my life, I took things as they were. And maybe that’s what made this trip so beyond-words incredible. We went to the airport being nearly strangers and starting to get to know each other little by little. When we arrived in Samsun, 2 girls form the Turkish Team, as well as their teacher came to take us to our hotel. It was then when I realized how open to sharing their thoughts those people are. The first day of the project was Sunday, the day we met the Polish and Czech Republic Team and also the Italian Team thanks to the advanced technology we have
today, as they participated online. But the real bonding was after the presentations, when we went on a city tour. I knew nothing about Samsun, and I was utterly impressed with what I’ve come to learn about it. It is a town full of history and to my surprise- stories of female leaders of the past. By the end of the day, you couldn’t get me to shut up. All I wanted to do was find out everything about the other countries and tell my family and friends all about it. Needless to say, after only one day all my sense of curiosity and eagerness to learn came back and stronger than ever. I have to admit that my favorite day was Monday. The Turkish students presented us the school and we engaged in an intercultural workshop, learning some phrases in each language. But what I didn’t expect was the comfort and easiness with which I did all of these activities, including the International Roleplays. Each group was assigned a subject related to the dayto-day struggles of women and we had about 5 minutes to come up with ideas. Normally, the idea of going on stage, in front of everybody sounds terrifying to me. But somehow, here, I felt quite the opposite. I felt empowered and it was that moment that I noticed the safe environment that we so soon created together. Over the course of this trip, we had a lot of fun chatting with these beautiful-hearted people that I knew for just a couple of days but it felt like a lifetime of friendship. We were all so simply grateful for the cultural aspect of this experience. Something that amazed me, for instance, was the old Ottoman Empire Hospital and Mental Health Center, the mosque and also the mummies exposed in the museum we visited in Amasya on our third day. We also had an extraordinary culinary journey, enjoying all the tasty traditional dishes, during our stay. By far, two of the most unforgettable memories I got are the dancing and singing sessions in the bus and also the farewell dinner party where we danced all evening and purely and genuinely enjoyed each other’s presence. Some goodbye tears were spilled at the end of the night. As an overview, Samsun radiates a peaceful energy, having a calming yet mysterious atmosphere. This project came at the right time, when I least expected it, but most needed it. It gave me the break that deep down I was so desperate for. And it put me in a totally different and relaxed state of mind, one that I have experienced very few times in my life. If I were to use one word to describe my Erasmus week, it would be ”blessing”. Turkey, thank you! Gherman Eliza If I could sum up this whole experience in one word, I’d probably go with unreal. I don’t know whether it was sheer luck that brought me to Samsun, Turkey or if I just happened to be the right person in the right place, being able to fill in the spot of one girl from the Romanian Team who dropped out last minute. But, what I do know is this, I am beyond grateful for everything I got to experience during the first mobility of the ‘Women Power Razing Awareness’ Erasmus+ Project. What drew me to this project in the first place were the issues that it tackled, me being a feminist myself. Finding out about inspirational women that came from all different
backgrounds and periods of time felt truly special. I also enjoyed learning about the reality of being a girl in out partners’ High schools and countries. Poland, Italy, Czech Republic and Turkey were great partners that also became really dear friends by the end of the trip. I’m glad I got to experience little pieces of their cultures, either in the form of dishes I tried at the international lunch, meaningful conversations I get to cherish in my memory or fun traditional dances and songs. However, I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t one culture that I fell for harder. Ever since the first day, I was amazed by everything Turkey hat to offer. Starting with the breathtaking views and the charm of Samsun, Amasya and Çorum, followed by the mouth-watering food and intriguing traditions, to the hospitality of my hosts, Turkey has earned a forever special place in my heart. This was not only an opportunity to meet new people and form international friendships , but also a chance to truly get to know the girls from my school and also our two teachers who guided and cared for us. But most of all, I got to find out more things about myself and with that I feel like the greater purpose of this Erasmus+ has been fulfilled for me. BĂCAN Karina Elena I remember the moment our teacher put up the announcement of the students that would take part in the mobility, in Turkey. I was staring in disbelief at the screen, not expecting something so big to take place in my life so soon. I felt like bursting at the seams with joy and excitement. Even though we had to postpone the mobility-which originally would’ve taken place in November-for a short while because of the Covid cases that were spreading like wildfire, the wait was so worth it. The whole experience was simply pure magic. From the moment we stepped out of the airport, gawking at the breathtaking sights around us, to the wonderful people we got to meet. We formed bonds between us, the Romanian team, 6 girls that barely even knew each other, but in the end managed to set up a little makeshift family, something that’s going to last for many years to come. Making friendships with the students from the other countries (Turkey, Czech Republic and Poland) was so easy, since they were all so friendly, being as eager as we were to meet everyone. We got to learn about their culture, their habits, dances and in the case of the Turkish students, even eat their delicious foods. Sadly, this wasn’t possible with the Italians, since they could only participate to the project online, but they were present in spirit. What’s important is that I learned about the huge contribution of women in our society, how their bravery impacted our history and what their strength can do. I learned about the struggles girls face in schools, even in other countries and found out that there are not a lot of differences that separate us. Rather unite us, urge us to put up a strong front and support each other the best we can. This experience is definitely something I am never going to forget, forever staying in my heart as one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Dobre Elena-Roberta It feels a little bit difficult to try to write down all my thoughts on paper but I promise I will try my best… Let’s start from the beginning… Some months ago I woke up at the sound of my phone receiving a message , with sleepy eyes I saw that it was from our teacher and it announced me that I had been selected to go to Turkey with this amazing project. Little did I know that this message will change my whole highschool experience. We prepared how we knew best for this trip with presents for our hosts, Romanian food and our presentations. With a lot of beautiful emotions we set off for the airport and our adventure officially begun. Our first interaction with the students from the other countries was maybe a bit hesitant, but along the way we came to love all of them very much. The Polish girls were the sweetest persons,thoughtful and always ready to help, the Czech team was so friendly and funny, ready at any time to say a joke. However, we managed to create a bond with the Turkish team that will last all of our lives, so full of joy, the most partying and such welcoming hosts that they managed to make us feel like home when we were 1000 km away from our country. As a personal touch, I feel the need to say how much I loved the conference room. I think I could have slept there and everything would have been perfect. It felt really powerful to stand in front of everyone and present your country,important female figures and your personal opinions about different subjects, because this is what this project does, it gives young students the opportunity to make themselves heard, to share their opinions and ideologies with the oders and learn a lot from someone else’s experience. As for the visiting part, I hadn’t been to Turkey until this Erasmus+ Project and so I had the chance to discover
this beautiful country in all possible ways for the first time. Chiefest of all ,I want to express my adoration for the Turkish kitchen . As a fellow newbie cook I tried to enjoy every flavor that Turkey has to offer and I can say that I am still amazed and I tried to steal as many recipes as I could . No matter where you went, people were very welcoming and you could steal their hearts just with a “merhaba”(hello) or a “teșekkürler”(thank you) even with the forced pronunciation.The region which we visited was full of magnificent history and rich culture which helped us understand the evolution of this lovely people. All in all I learnt so much from this experience and it made me realise how spectacular and powerful the human bond can be and how much we can accomplish just by working in a group with different people that have different opinions and in the end with all the hard work we will acomplish to get as high as possible and make a change for the better. Even though the leaving was hard and sprinkled with tears we came back home with plenty good memories that will forever be in our hearts and thoughts. Vintilă Briana-Elena How could I start talking about this unique experience…? Well, I can say that this was by far the best experience and the most wonderful week in my life, the experience that clearly will be the highlight of my highschool years, it was something else, something I’ve never lived and probably will not live again, an once in a lifetime thing. In brief, this Erasmus trip was an experience that will forever stay in my heart. But now let’s start from the beginning… I didn’t know much about an Erasmus project, so I can’t really say I had many expectations… I knew it would be a beautiful trip and that I would meet nice people, but I haven’t nearly imagined that it will be the way it was. The activities, the people, the cultures, the traditions, the food, all the information…everything as a whole was arranged to be just perfect.
I was more than excited to participate in this project, especially because it was about women power and, as a feminist, I was dying to learn more things about this subject and to see how the people from the other countries view it. I met and listened to speeches of powerful women, I saw presentations that taught me a lot about representative women and how they succeeded, despite their difficulties and diversity, I got a glimpse of how it is to be a girl in other countries and listened to stories, as I got to share my own stories as a girl from Romania, and I was able to see many similarities between us, as well as many differences. To learn about their cultures, traditions and languages was one of the best parts. We shared so many things with each other, from differences about our religions, to the economy or random words from our languages (it was the funniest when we were discovering we have similar words, if not the same ones in multiple languages)… we shared dances, songs, gifts that were more or less traditional, foods and recipes and many other things. When it comes to food, I will say that the Turkish food is certainly one of the best: the flavors and the diversity are unmatched. The places we visited were truly astonishing, having a great history behind them and representing breath-taking views. Here I also include the town of Samsun that just felt like a second-home. Regarding the people, I sincerely don’t have words to describe them. They were full of energy, always with a smile on their face, always eager to talk to you, to get to know you and to make friendship with you. I loved all of them, but I need to recognize that the Turkish team holds a special place in my heart, they were amazing hosts, full of love and always there for you, with whom we spent so much time, made great memories and with whom we had a connection that still lasts, as we keep in touch almost every day. And our team of course, six girls that were randomly put together, six girls who didn’t really know anything about each other…but like that we accomplished to be a team that couldn’t have been better. We created a strong friendship and we are like a family that will last many years from now on. With our amazing teachers, we managed to have a blast and we are very thankful for that. In one word, I can call it intense, full of live, full of moments, full of laughter, of joy, of the most amazing people in the world, of things we learned and things we taught others and in the end we remained full of memories we will certainly never forget. ♥Impressions♥